The polls are never wrong. We know that.

But sometimes they are, so I have no prediction as to the outcome of today’s Canadian federal election. There are some things to watch for though.

The Conservative lead in the polls has vanished with Justin Trudeau’s departure and Donald Trump’s ascension. But when people mark their ballot, will the recent shift hold? Nobody knows.

If you are a Conservative supporter, the key ridings to watch as the polls close are in Newfoundland and PEI. Those are historic Liberal strongholds. If the Conservatives pick up a seat or two there, the likelihood increases of a Conservative government. The same would hold true for any gains in Quebec

Quebec is also where the Liberals need to pick up seats. Once the returns start coming in from the Prairie provinces there won’t be much movement to the Liberals, so they need to pick up seats in Quebec and Ontario to ensure a return to government.

The other parties are basically toast thanks to the Trump dynamic that has been the overarching influence on the campaign. Voters are choosing who they think will best deal with the volatile politics of the USA, not whop can best handle the domestic challenges Canada faces. Smaller parties will be road kill on the electoral highway.

The NDP will probably win a few seats, but not enough for official parry status (12) in the House of Commons. The Greens will probably be wiped out, and the People’s Party will once again fail to elect anyone.

The pollsters tell us that what was once looking like a Conservative landslide will turn out to be a Liberal victory. They may be right. But polls taken last week don’t capture any late mood swings in the electorate.

Saskatchewan had a provincial election last October. Somehow it didn’t impact my consciousness. Maybe that’s because it has been more than 40 years since I lived there.

I missed that the governing Saskatchewan Party won the election, forming a majority government, despite having trailed in the polls throught the campaign.

That’s why they say the only poll that counts is the one on election day. I’m looking forward to following the results as they come in tonight.